Movie guide: Capsule listing of current releases

By Los Angeles Times

OPENING IN HOLLYWOOD THIS WEEK

“Aatsinki: The Story of Arctic Cowboys” — A documentary chronicling a year in the life of a family of reindeer herders in Finnish Lapland. Directed by Jessica Oreck. In Finnish with English subtitles. (1:25) NR.

“The Bag Man” — Hired by a crime boss to carry out a simple but unusual task, a hard-luck tough guy crosses paths with a host of shady characters and a beautiful woman whose fate becomes entangled with his own. With John Cusack, Robert De Niro and Rebecca Da Costa. Written by David Grovic and Paul Conway. Directed by Grovic. (1:48) NR.

“Ernest & Celestine” — In this animated film set in a world where bears live above ground and mice live below in fear, an idealistic young mouse and a reclusive bear strike up an unlikely friendship. With the voices of Forest Whitaker, Mackenzie Foy and Lauren Bacall. Written by Daniel Pennac. Directed by Stephane Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner. (1:20) PG.

“Generation War, Part 1” — Five young German friends are forced to navigate the unconscionable moral compromises of life under Hitler in this two-part historical drama. With Volker Bruch, Tom Schilling and Katharina Schuttler. Written by Stefan Kolditz. Directed by Philipp Kadelbach. In German with English subtitles. (2:11) NR.

“Generation War, Part 2” — Five young German friends are forced to navigate the unconscionable moral compromises of life under Hitler in this two-part historical drama. With Volker Bruch, Tom Schilling and Katharina Schuttler. Written by Stefan Kolditz. Directed by Philipp Kadelbach. In German with English subtitles. (2:28) NR.

“The Lunchbox” — In Mumbai, a middle-class housewife tries to add spice to her marriage by preparing an extra-special lunchbox for her neglectful husband, but a delivery mixup puts it in the hands of a lonely accountant and leads to an unexpected correspondence. With Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Written and directed by Ritesh Batra. In Hindi and English, with English subtitles. (1:44) PG.

“Non-Stop” — During a flight from New York City to London, a U.S. air marshal receives a series of cryptic text messages demanding a $150 million ransom, or a passenger on the flight will be killed every 20 minutes. With Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore. Written by John W. Richardson, Chris Roach and Ryan Engle. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. (1:45) PG-13.

“Odd Thomas” — A small-town fry cook who can see ghosts and bad omens teams with his girlfriend and the local sheriff to save his town from destruction in this film based on the Dean Koontz book. With Anton Yelchin, Willem Dafoe and Addison Timlin. Written and directed by Stephen Sommers. (1:36) NR.

“The Pirate Fairy” — An animated film about a misunderstood fairy who runs away and joins forces with pirates. With the voices of Christina Hendricks, Mae Whitman and Tom Hiddleston. Written by Jeffrey M. Howard and Kate Kondell. Directed by Peggy Holmes. (1:18) G.

“Son of God” — A film portraying the life of Jesus, from birth through his preaching, crucifixion and resurrection. With Diogo Morgado, Greg Hicks and Adrian Schiller. Written by Nic Young. Directed by Christopher Spencer. (2:18) PG-13.

“Stalingrad” — During World War II, a band of determined Russian soldiers fight to hold a strategic building in their devastated city against the German army, and in the process become deeply connected to two women living there. With Thomas Kretschmann, Pyotr Fyodorov and Sergey Bondarchuk. Written by Ilya Tilkin and Sergey Snezhkin. Directed by Fyodor Bondarchuk. In Russian and German, with English subtitles. In Imax and 3-D. (2:15) R.

“Venus Talk” — A self-assured housewife, a single mother and an independent TV producer navigate the ups and downs of life and love in modern-day Seoul. With Uhm Jung-Hwa, Moon So-Ri and Jo Min-Soo. Written by Lee Soo-ah. Directed by Kwon Chil-in. In Korean with English subtitles. (1:48) NR.

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ALSO IN THEATERS

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“About Last Night” — Two couples navigate the ups and downs of modern love and romance in this remake of the 1986 film of the same name. With Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Regina Hall and Joy Bryant. Written by Leslye Headland. Directed by Steve Pink. (1:40) R.

“American Hustle” — Two con men are compelled to work with a wild federal agent to concoct a sting targeting New Jersey power brokers and the mafia in this drama based on the FBI’s Abscam operation of the 1970s. With Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner. Written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell. Directed by Russell. (2:17) R.

“August: Osage County” — When a family crisis brings them back to the Oklahoma house they grew up in, three sisters confront the dysfunctional woman who raised them. With Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor and Chris Cooper. Written by Tracy Letts. Directed by John Wells. (2:10) R.

“Endless Love” — A privileged young woman and a charismatic young man spark an intense but star-crossed love affair in this remake of the 1981 movie of the same name. With Alex Pettyfer, Gabriella Wilde and Robert Patrick. Written by Shana Feste and Joshua Safran. Directed by Feste. (1:45) PG-13.

“Frozen” — An optimistic princess sets off on a journey with a rugged mountain man to find her sister, whose icy powers have trapped their kindgom in an eternal winter. With the voices of Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad. Written by Jennifer Lee. Directed by Lee and Chris Buck. In 3-D. (1:48) PG.

“Her” — In near-future Los Angeles, a lonely writer trying to recover from a failed relationship downloads an advanced new operating system and begins to fall in love with his virtual companion. With Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara and Scarlett Johansson. Written and directed by Spike Jonze. (2:06) R.

“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” — The reluctant hero Bilbo Baggins continues his quest to face the fearsome dragon Smaug and help 13 dwarves reclaim their lost kingdom in this second installment of a film trilogy adapting J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit.” With Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage and Benedict Cumberbatch. Written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo Del Toro and Peter Jackson. Directed by Jackson. In 3-D, HFR and Imax. (2:41) PG-13.

“I, Frankenstein” — Two centuries after his creation by Dr. Frankenstein, the creature Adam finds himself in the middle of a supernatural war over the fate of humanity. With Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Yvonne Strahovski and Miranda Otto. Written and directed by Stuart Beattie. (1:32) PG-13.

“Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” — A young CIA analyst uncovers an international terrorist plot to collapse the U.S. economy and heads into the field to prevent it from happening. With Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Kenneth Branagh and Keira Knightley. Written by Adam Cozad and David Koepp. Directed by Branagh. (1:46) PG-13.

“Labor Day” — On a back-to-school shopping trip, a reclusive single mother and her 13-year-old son encounter and take in a man in need, who turns out to be an escaped convict but also bonds with them both. With Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, Gattlin Griffith and Tobey Maguire. Written and directed by Jason Reitman. (1:51) PG-13.

“The Lego Movie” — In this animated film, an ordinary Lego figure is mistaken for the person meant to save the world and drafted into a quest to stop an evil tyrant. With the voices of Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks and Will Arnett. Written and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. In 3-D. (1:41) PG.

“Lone Survivor” — Four Navy Seals on a cover mission to take down a high-level al Qaeda operative are ambushed in the mountains of Afghanistan and face insurmountable odds. With Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch and Ben Foster. Written and directed by Peter Berg. (2:01) R.

“The Monuments Men” — A fact-based drama about an unlikely World War II platoon tasked by FDR with going to Germany to save rare antiques, art and architecture from theft and destruction by the Nazis. With George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray and John Goodman. Written by Clooney and Grant Heslov. Directed by Clooney. (1:58) PG-13.

“The Nut Job” — In this animated film, a mischievous squirrel sets out to rob the town’s biggest nut shop in order to feed himself and his pals for the winter. With the voices of Will Arnett, Brendan Fraser, Liam Neeson and Katherine Heigl. Written by Lorne Cameron and Peter Lepeniotis. Directed by Lepeniotis. In 3-D. (1:26) PG.

“Philomena” — An Irish woman enlists a journalist to help her track down the out-of-wedlock son she was forced by her Catholic community to give away for adoption in this drama based on Martin Sixsmith’s 2009 book “The Lost Child of Philomena Lee.” With Steve Coogan and Judi Dench. Written by Coogan and Jeff Pope. Directed by Stephen Frears. (1:35) R.

“Pompeii” — In the year 79 A.D., a slave turned unstoppable gladiator races against time to save his true love from a corrupt Roman senator and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. With Kit Harington, Emily Browning and Carrie-Anne Moss. Written by Janet Scott Batchler, Lee Batchler and Michael Robert Johnson. Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. (1:45) PG-13.

“Ride Along” — In an effort to prove himself worthy, a fast-talking security guard goes for a ride-along with his girlfriend’s brother, a hot-headed Atlanta cop, and gets mixed up in his latest case. With Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, John Leguizamo and Bruce McGill. Written by Greg Coolidge, Jason Mantzoukas, Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi. Directed by Tim Story. (1:40) PG-13.

“That Awkward Moment” — Three best friends simultaneously find themselves questioning where their recent relationships are headed. With Zac Efron, Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan and Imogen Poots. Written and directed by Tom Gormican. (1:45) R.

“3 Days to Kill” — A spy who is determined to give up his dangerous life and reconnect with his estranged family must complete one last mission — hunting down a ruthless terrorist — while also looking after his teen daughter for the first time in years. With Kevin Costner, Hailee Steinfeld and Amber Heard. Written by Luc Besson and Adi Hasak. Directed by McG. (1:57) PG-13.

“Winter’s Tale” — A tale spanning a century in a mythical New York City, about a thief who falls for a dying woman and tangles with a ruthless gangster, based on the novel by Mark Helprin. With Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Jennifer Connelly and William Hurt. Written and directed by Akiva Goldsman. (1:58) PG-13.

“The Wolf of Wall Street” — A biopic charting the rise and fall of the hard-living New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort, who founded the infamous boiler-room brokerage Stratton Oakmont and cheated investors out of as much as $200 million in the early 1990s. With Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie and Matthew McConaughey. Written by Terence Winter. Directed by Martin Scorsese. (2:59) R.